Machappunti / Woody-Fruit Bayur Tree
Pterospermum xylocarpum
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Machappunti
Identify Machappunti by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Hard woody seed capsule.
- Confirm leaf shape: Lanceolate (long, narrow, tapering to a point).
- Confirm flower colour: White/cream.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha.
- Confirm it sits within the Sterculiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Machappunti.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Pterospermum xylocarpum
- Genus
- Pterospermum
- Family
- Sterculiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Degraded forests and shallow ravines
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- Indian subcontinent
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Lanceolate (long, narrow, tapering to a point)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Machappunti itself; the rest are typical of the Sterculiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- White/creamrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Machappunti itself; the rest are typical of the Sterculiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- Machappunti, Polavu, Pulavu
- Kannada
- Kanakakombu, Kanaka Champaka, Kesali
About Machappunti
Woody-Fruit Bayur Tree (Pterospermum xylocarpum) is a tree in the Sterculiaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. It grows in degraded forests and shallow ravines. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Sterculiaceae
Cacao/Cola family
Machappunti belongs to the Sterculiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Sterculiaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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